Shoo! The "poor door" is around back.
I think making the architectural process more inclusive to
the voices of the users, who will far outlive the intentions of our own
thoughts, is paramount for the sustainability of the architectural profession
and for society as whole. By injecting the user into the process, their
participation changes the narrative from planning
‘for’ them to planning ‘with’ them. Their input directly affects the way
their community will grow and it’s crucial for the architect to pay attention
to what is being said.
When we provide a platform for the public to be heard, it should be the architect’s responsibility to educate the client on the needs of their users, but more importantly as designers, how to promote the undiscovered potential of the community. That is to say, not only should we conceive of an environment that is conscious of users’ needs and values, but to envision “new expansions of reality” and to realize its “materialization in physical space”. (De Carlo, 19) As architects, we must leverage our specialized knowledge and penchant for thinking outside of the box, and we must prove to be the creative problem solvers that is so much embedded in our DNA for the betterment of our society.
The Polaris Building – Fairbanks, Alaska
One brilliant case study exemplifying the inclusive process is the Polaris building, a now vacant 11-story apartment building in Fairbanks, Alaska constructed in 1952. Here, chalkboards placed on street level welcome a public dialogue between the community and the establishment. One board prompts – “My memories of the Polaris building” – and the other – “My hopes for the Polaris building” – all under the headline “Looking for love again.” What develops is a tangible convergence of past optimism and future dreams while the present becomes the barometer for which the unrealized potential of the community will be measured. As architects, we have all the capability in the world to help people realize their hopes and dreams, but do we have the integrity and the intent to make them a reality?
One Riverside Park – New York, New York
People are becoming more aware of the needs of our changing communities and architects have to be responsive and take responsibility for its future success. To the chagrin of many of the elite, who represent the majority of those investing in our cities and developing them, we must build an urban community that is just as inclusive as the process previously described, one that promotes diversity: social, economic, cultural. If we don’t, and if architects start creating alibis for their own misactions, we will erode and eventually nullify the power that the public has entrusted to the profession, and our communities will suffer. In this case, as seen in the past, we end up pushing the underprivileged, the rural, and the poor to the periphery, but when we finally decide to make an effort to bring them back to the heart of our cities, we force them to enter through the “poor door” in the back alley.
When we provide a platform for the public to be heard, it should be the architect’s responsibility to educate the client on the needs of their users, but more importantly as designers, how to promote the undiscovered potential of the community. That is to say, not only should we conceive of an environment that is conscious of users’ needs and values, but to envision “new expansions of reality” and to realize its “materialization in physical space”. (De Carlo, 19) As architects, we must leverage our specialized knowledge and penchant for thinking outside of the box, and we must prove to be the creative problem solvers that is so much embedded in our DNA for the betterment of our society.
The Polaris Building – Fairbanks, Alaska
One brilliant case study exemplifying the inclusive process is the Polaris building, a now vacant 11-story apartment building in Fairbanks, Alaska constructed in 1952. Here, chalkboards placed on street level welcome a public dialogue between the community and the establishment. One board prompts – “My memories of the Polaris building” – and the other – “My hopes for the Polaris building” – all under the headline “Looking for love again.” What develops is a tangible convergence of past optimism and future dreams while the present becomes the barometer for which the unrealized potential of the community will be measured. As architects, we have all the capability in the world to help people realize their hopes and dreams, but do we have the integrity and the intent to make them a reality?
One Riverside Park – New York, New York
People are becoming more aware of the needs of our changing communities and architects have to be responsive and take responsibility for its future success. To the chagrin of many of the elite, who represent the majority of those investing in our cities and developing them, we must build an urban community that is just as inclusive as the process previously described, one that promotes diversity: social, economic, cultural. If we don’t, and if architects start creating alibis for their own misactions, we will erode and eventually nullify the power that the public has entrusted to the profession, and our communities will suffer. In this case, as seen in the past, we end up pushing the underprivileged, the rural, and the poor to the periphery, but when we finally decide to make an effort to bring them back to the heart of our cities, we force them to enter through the “poor door” in the back alley.
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